


Common Ground

by MelyndaR



Series: Common Ground series [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 21:38:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 18,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3149342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelyndaR/pseuds/MelyndaR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Neal's death, those closest to him forge an unlikely bond and ultimately work together to get the happily ever after - for themselves and others - that they'd believed was impossible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came to me suddenly practically completely fleshed out in my head (It was kind of cool, actually). That was a lot of adverbs... Anyway, enjoy! This story does ignore the existence of the "Frozen" plotline, FYI!:)

Appeasing her father's wrath concerning her "adventure" with Anna had been easy enough for Belle, certainly considering that there were bigger things to worry about, namely the ogres. However… Gaston's fury had been a different matter entirely. Belle had known that he would find her when he heard of her return; she'd been anticipating what would come with him – all of it.

But that didn't dull the panic she'd felt when her fiancé stormed down the hall to her chambers and began screaming at her, nor the pain when he began to beat her – not that this was the first time in their so-called relationship. She'd done the only thing she knew to do: crumbled against the wall doing all she could to protect her midsection until his rage at her "acting out" had sated and he'd left her where she was. As the door slammed soundly behind Gaston, she stayed curled in the fetal position on the cold stone floor until at length her sobs abated and she sat up.

Until now, she hadn't had a moment's peace to even take off her cloak, so she did so now, letting the blue fabric pool on the floor behind her as she brushed away the last of her tears and returned her hands to cradling her abdomen – and the every-growing child nestled underneath her heart. As much as she hated and feared Gaston, she couldn't help but feel solely love for the child that had been created one of the times he'd forced her into his bed twenty-seven weeks ago.

But with the love for her child always came fear for the baby. Next to no one even knew she was pregnant, Gaston didn't even want the child – not an illegitimate one – and Belle couldn't imagine allowing an infant to grow up under Gaston's roof. She couldn't let it happen… but time was running short before she gave birth, and she didn't know what to do. She knew, though, that she could not stay here. Whatever the first chance was that she found to leave this place, she would have to take it.

* * *

And she had. Belle was so very desperate that she had gone with the  _Dark One_ to his castle, promising to be his estate's caretaker forever. She was beginning to believe, though, that in her desperation, she'd exchanged a bad situation for a worse one. Not a week after mentioning Rumplestiltskin to her father, she was curled up in a cell in the dungeon of the sorcerer's castle, wishing herself anywhere else on her second night here. She was still bruised from Gaston's beating, she ached nearly all the way into her bones from the cold seeping in from all sides, and worst of all, and she had been feeling  _twinges_  all day. They'd gotten progressively worse throughout the day, and what she'd first thought were simple cramps – from nerves at her new surroundings, maybe? – could no longer be brushed off as anything so commonplace.

Something was going wrong,  _very_ wrong with her baby, and she didn't know what to do.

Yet another harsh sob burst forth from her body and Belle peered through the darkness, desperately trying to get an idea of  _something_  of what might be happening to her body and her baby. What she saw, what she realized, had her pressing a hand to her mouth to stem a scream. There was blood, oh so much blood! Then the torches outside her cell were lit, the door to her cell was breezing open as if of its' own accord, and Rumplestiltskin stalked in, magicking a yellow pillow into his hands as he came.

Belle's eyes locked on his, seeing his own orbs blow wide at the sight of so much blood as she whispered pitifully up at him, "Please help my baby."

The pillow disappeared as quickly as it had appeared while Rumplestiltskin crossed the room and knelt down beside her, realizing with shock, "You're with child!"

She nearly screamed at him for stating the obvious, but assumed that wasn't a good idea, repeating instead in a pain-clogged tone, "Help!"

"I don't know what to do!" he said, surprising her with the panic in his voice.

She burst into a fresh wave of tears, begging, "Please try! Help my baby!"

So he did; he tried, and somehow Belle had her baby in her arms within the hour. Her tiny, beautiful, perfectly-formed baby girl, Arabella.

But something was wrong.

Belle looked at Rumplestiltskin with terror in her eyes as she said, "She should cry; why won't she cry? Can't you make her cry? Her breathing…" Belle realized, her tears starting all over again as she spoke, "She can't breathe for long if she won't cry. Do something or she'll die!"

"I'm sorry," Rumplestiltskin whispered sincerely, his hands fluttering this way and that. It hit Belle that he  _was_ casting spells as he admitted gently, "I've been trying every spell I can think of, but I… it's her heart that's underdeveloped, and hearts are very fickle things. There's nothing I can do." He looked away as he stood and left, whispering, "I'll leave you with her for awhile."

"Awhile" turned out to be only five minutes. For five wonderful, heartbreaking minutes Belle cradled her daughter to her with one arm and whispered sweet things, her other hand resting ever so gently over the baby's heartbeat, feeling the unsteady rhythm of her child struggling to breathe… until the struggle was over.

Perhaps it was magic that alerted him to the baby's death, perhaps it was Belle's keening scream, but as blinding grief began to overtake her good senses, Rumplestiltskin was suddenly at her side once again. He spirited her daughter's little body away and when her hands began to grope desperately for her baby to hold, she found only the Dark One there instead. So she clung to him and he let her, as she let him hold her in return, neither one of them really registering that Rumplestiltskin was crying too, as their individual thoughts of their unreachable children eclipsed all else.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Bae was dead.

It was only after defeating Peter Pan and Zelena that Rumplestiltskin could stop and think about that fact, and even then it never really  _hit_ him until the "coronation" party for David and Mary Margaret's son.

Neal. They'd named their son Neal after the hero who had saved everyone in Storybrooke. The  _fallen_ hero who wouldn't – couldn't – come back. Because he was dead. And because any spells that would bring him back to life required another life in return, and casting such a spell wouldn't set well with Belle.

His good, sweet Belle, to whom the timing of his grief was wholly unfair. The night of the party. The night of his wedding. And yet he found that he couldn't pry his thoughts completely away from Bae. Rumplestiltskin was going through with his wedding without giving the event one-hundred percent of his concentration, and that wasn't fair to himself or his new bride.

He knew Belle, though, knew that she understood his thoughts, his mourning, at a glance. When his grief for his son overtook him in the middle of his wedding night, she simply held him while he wept, and when he apologized for feeling this way on tonight of all nights, she was quick to hush him.

"Rumple," Belle whispered, pulling him even closer to her on their bed and letting him cry on her chest while she drew soothing patterns on his back with her fingertips. "It's okay; you're allowed to mourn. I understand."

For some reason, knowing how true that statement was brought on another wave of tears that he rode out until he managed a depreciating laugh and a "but it's our wedding night!"

"And we've allotted an entire week for our honeymoon," Belle reasoned calmly. "Right now you need the purge; other things can come later."

* * *

However, that apparently wasn't going to work out how he and Belle had hoped, though, because  _apparently_  Rumple wasn't the only one having meltdowns that week.

A whole two days into their honeymoon and Gold and Belle were being called into the sheriff's office.

"I'm sorry," David apologized as soon as Gold answered the phone. "I know you have plans, so I held off as long as I could, but Regina's already tried to get it down, and Mary Margaret and Hook are here trying to talk to her, and… well, Emma's put up a barrier spell around the jail cell and locked herself inside. It looks like she's had a bit of a breakdown, and we can't get her to come out. Can you help?"

Gold sighed deeply, agreeing irritably, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Belle had heard everything, and looked at him with worried eyes, trailing him out the door as she asked, "What do you think happened?"

He replied peevishly, "When have I ever tried to understand a woman?"

"But I didn't even have to coax you even a little bit to help," Belle pointed out, eyeing him. "It's not like you to alter our plans like this."

"Maybe Bae's death changed me?" he offered absently.

Belle caught his gaze and held it while they walked as she realized, murmuring with wide eyes, "Bae. You think this is about Bae's death."

"I know my son loved her," Gold answered gruffly. "And I think that the sheriff loved him in return, so, yes, I think she's hurting."

Neither one of them said anything else; Belle just put her hand in his and squeezed as they walked towards the sheriff's station.

But Rumplestiltskin, for one, hadn't been expecting the mess that met them once they got there. Papers, files, office equipment – everything that had once had a proper place in the office – was now scattered elsewhere across the desk and floor, having apparently been thrown there with a solid amount of vigor or grief… or – Rumple caught the way Sheriff Swan's eyes widened and her tear-streaked face paled when he and Belle appeared in the doorway – guilt? Whatever did she have to feel guilty about?

Gold's eyes narrowed as he stepped further into the room and took stock of the situation. Regina was leaning up against the sheriff's desk, but Hook and the Charmings were clustered in front of the jail cell, trying to talk Sheriff Swan into lowering her barrier. It was a rather impressive barrier, Rumple decided, taking a step closer to get a better look. Although it truly only gave the impression of being something like a piece of plastic wrap hung from ceiling to floor, it was solid, with the sort of strength that only came with a serious outpouring of emotion, and there would be no getting past it unless the sheriff would allow it. Considering the fact that she was curled up on the bunk, knees to her chest on the wall farthest from anyone, it didn't look like she would be letting anyone in anytime soon.

But everyone apparently wanted him to change that fact.

"This is highly unprofessional of you, sheriff," Rumple tried, his tone lazy and still at least a little irritated as he limped his way up to stand next to the blocked-off cell when Hook and the Charmings conveniently backed off. She didn't respond, so he tried again with, "I don't have time for this today, so here's what we're going to do: either you're going to come out on your own, or I'm going to tear down your barrier and let them come in and get you. Your choice, Miss Swan." The blonde dropped her forehead down onto her knees and proceeded to ignore them all. Rumple sighed and turned towards her parents, asking in a low voice, "What caused this?"

"I don't know," David answered, obviously troubled. "I just came in for my shift and everything was already like this."

"Has anything happened recently?"

"You mean besides Neal's passing, right?" Snow White asked slowly.

Rumple nodded impatiently and Hook spoke up, saying, "Mine and Swan's visit to the Enchanted Forest."

The proverbial light bulb blinked on as Gold turned to Hook, pointing a nearly accusatory finger at him as he added slowly, "Where you seduced the sheriff."

"So?" Hook asked with eyebrows raised in amusement.

"So," Rumple answered irritably, looking back at Miss Swan's miserable, hunched over figure with eyes that softened as he spoke. "She's not just a sheriff; she also happens to be something of a widow."


	3. Chapter 3

"Come again?" the captain asked in confusion, and Gold felt his last nerve regarding the man start to fray.

The Dark One pointed towards the doorway and ordered firmly, "Get out."

"Not while Emma's got herself locked away in there."

Gold raised his eyebrows, trying a different tactic. "Let me rephrase that. Deputy Nolan, could you kindly show this man out; I suspect he's part of the reason your poor daughter's locked herself away."

That worked. David clamped his hands on Hook's shoulders and steered him out of the room with a firm – protective, paternal – set to his jaw.

While he was gone, Rumplestiltskin moved to lean against the actual barrier, hoping to feel it weaken beneath him so that he could enter into the space where Miss Swan sat. "He's gone now. Does that help?"

Swan nodded, her forehead still pressed against her knees.

"If you're not going to come out, can I come in?"

Swan shook her head.

Gold took a deep breath and dropped from his tone what was left of his brusqueness, exchanging it for a friendly, gentle softness that he wasn't quite used to when it came to this woman – when it came to anyone but Bae or Belle, really. "Emma. Please let me in. I know… it's hard, but I think I can talk you through this. We can help each other. I can come in there and soundproof your barrier, or we can have this conversation through the barrier with your father in the room. Considering both Kathryn and what you're thinking, I doubt you like the latter idea."

Emma looked up at him with darkening watery eyes and there it was. The barrier shifted under his shoulder and he stumbled through to the other side, bypassing even the bars of the cell to stand in front of Emma. She watched him in silence as he did as promised and waved a soundproofing spell into place before she dropped her head back onto her knees and ignored him. Gold eased down onto the edge of the bunk, a couple mere inches between his hip and the toes of her boots, and just watched her, waiting for her to speak.

"Hook kissed me," she declared, still not looking at him.

"So I garnered."

"He started it."

"I'm sure he did."

"When we were in the Enchanted Forest."

"I saw the book, Miss Swan."

"And in Neverland."

Rumplestiltskin blinked in surprise. Now, this was news. "Oh?"

"He… coerced me, sort of… taunted…ish. So I kissed him. Even when I loved Neal, even when  _Neal_  was  _there for me to love_ , and I still fooled around with Hook. Now Neal's gone, and Hook thinks I'm his girlfriend or something and I hate myself for the whole thing."

"Bae wouldn't want you to hate yourself," Rumple informed her. "He'd want you to be happy. That's why I finally got around to proposing to Belle, because I believe that by the time he died, my son and I had made enough things right that he wouldn't have wanted me to… stay in my hurt. He would've wanted me to live and be happy. So that's what I'm trying to do. And if the captain causes that for you, then-"

"But he doesn't!" Emma burst out, flashing eyes finally lifting to Gold's face. "I don't want him around!" As soon as it came, the fight was gone out of her. Her shoulders dropped again and she looked down at her knees as she murmured brokenly, "I just want Neal back again."

"I understand."

Rumple couldn't think of another thing to say to the sheriff that might help, so when Emma began to sob again, he did the one thing he could think of, no matter how uncomfortable it made him, and hoped that no one would cut him to bits for it once he left this cell. He moved closer and pulled her over so that she was leaning against him as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let her cry. Burying her face in his shoulder, too lost in her grief to care, Emma just let him hold her, so he turned his face from those outside the cell, propping his chin gently on her head, and let his own tears flow until both he and Emma were reasonably cried out for the time being.

Wiping away the last of her tears, Emma pulled away from him with a small, awkward laugh, and he offered her a thin smile as he asked, "Better?"

"A little – for now."

"I know the feeling," Rumple confessed. "But I think I have an idea for when," he gestured behind him to the mess she's made of the station. "This happens again. Don't relieve the emotions this way. Come to the shop; talk to Belle or I. One of us is always going to be there to cry with you, or distract you, if you'd rather. I know what alone feels like, Miss Swan, and it hurts as much as any sort of bereavement. So don't go through this alone."

"That's sweet, Gold," she started uncertainly.

He could tell that she was about to turn him down, so he broke in quickly, "Promise me that we have a deal, Miss Swan."

Emma blinked at him, a small smile flitting across her tear streaked face as she nodded and repeated, "We have a deal."

"Good," he replied with a calm nod before asking, "Now, do you think you might be willing to face your poor parents? They're very worried for you."

"I know," Emma said, looking over Gold's shoulder at Snow White and Prince Charming with a sigh. "I guess I have to face the music, huh?"

"They just want to make sure you're alright."

"I'm not," Emma answered instantly, her eyes flitting back to his. "And I'm not going to be for a long, long time."

"Your family is still here for you – your son, your parents – even when you're not alright," Rumple reminded as the two of them got to their feet. Emma gave him an assessing look, and he guessed what she was thinking, adding, "And, yes… I understand what you're going through, so I'll be here too. We made a deal, and I don't go back on my deals, Miss Swan."

 


	4. Chapter 4

Emma nodded, giving Rumplestiltskin another tightlipped smile before she flicked her wrist and lowered the barrier around the cell, stepping out and into her anxious parents' waiting arms without another word.

Regina had long disappeared from the office, but Belle had taken her spot leaning against the desk, and when Gold limped over to stand beside her, she asked under her breath, "What was that… what you did? Why?"

He hesitated, not really even sure what the answer to that question was, before he said, "Paternal instincts, perhaps? Just… finding common ground, I suppose."

Belle shot him a sad smile and leaned into him, saying happily, "Well, I'm glad you did it."

Funny thing – so was he.

* * *

What the heck was she thinking, actually doing this? Emma paced on the sidewalk outside Gold's pawnshop and wondered, wringing her hands even while fighting tears. Because she missed him. She missed Neal so much that she could barely breathe.

Henry had come home after school with a smile on his face, and Emma had glanced at him in her peripheral vision – not even on purpose – and in that moment he'd looked so much like Neal that her breath froze in her throat… and she hadn't been able to draw a full breath in the half hour since. She'd left the loft immediately and gone for a walk through town. Her feet apparently had a mind of their own today, because when Emma had snapped out of it enough to see where she was, she'd been crossing the street to the pawn shop – and now she was actually considering going inside and sharing her pain with the Dark One.

* * *

Surely the sheriff realized that he could see her through the window of his shop, Gold mused, polishing a set of silver at the counter as he waited for his guest to give up her pacing and enter. Putting down the rag he'd been using and replacing the silver in the display case, he straightened and looked around the shop, pondering if there truly was anything here that might hold her interest should it prove necessary. Over the week since they'd talked at the sheriff's station, he had actually begun to wonder if she was going to take him up on their deal at all, and if she did walk through that door, he wanted to be ready.

Not that he was sure  _why_ he cared so much, but still, next to Henry, Emma Swan was the closest thing to Bae that remained in his life. Plus, he'd meant what he'd said to Belle; something about Emma's tears had brought out a very paternal,  _human_  side of him – he just wasn't sure what to do about that fact. But Emma was standing outside of his shop – ah, look at that; she was coming in now – and he would do what he could to help her.

"Hello, Miss Swan," he said, eyeing her as she came up to the counter.

"Hey," she replied, shifting awkwardly on her feet.

A long pause followed before he asked almost carefully, "Bad day?"

Emma snatched the rag up from off of the counter and began to twist it, watching her hands as she spoke, saying her son's name slowly before the rest came in a rush. "Henry… I looked at him just right when he came home. He was smiling, and he looked so much like Neal, and it just… It caught me off guard, and it hurts, and I can't breathe right now."

Rumple nodded slowly, watching as the first of Emma's tears traced its way down her cheek. "You don't have to hold it together, you know," he prompted, almost afraid of what would happen when he said the words. "Not here anyway. I've cried so many tears over my boy's death, I certainly won't tell if you need to do the same."

That was all it took for the dam to break before Emma was crying, her hands flat on the countertop to keep herself upright as she let the grief come to the fore. With a flick of his fingertips to turn the sign on his shop to "closed," Gold came out from behind the counter, taking his handkerchief from his suit pocket and offering it to her. She took it and hid her face in the soft silk, allowing herself to slide slowly to the floor. Rumple went with her, pulling the breaking girl close and again letting himself cry with her until their eyes were both dry.

Eventually her sobs faded away to sniffles and the occasional hiccup, and Emma looked around the shop as if to remind herself where she was. Both her back and Gold's were supported by the display case and they were sitting with his arm around her shoulders as they faced the rest of the room. Her gaze stilled on one item in particular, and he followed her line of sight to see what had caught her interest.

"Do you like that mobile?" he asked.

She smiled shakily as she answered, "The unicorns are nice."

Gold looked at her almost warily before he eased onto his feet and fetched the item, handing it to Emma once she was on her feet as he asked, "Do you know whose this is?"

"That's a trick question, isn't it?" Emma asked, looking at him as if she suspected he was trying to tease her.

"No, not unless you want to take it that way."

"It is in your pawn shop," she pointed out.

He tapped her on the arm as he replied with a wry twist of his lips, "But it came from your nursery… in the Enchanted Forest, that is." Emma smiled a little, running a fingertip over one of the glass unicorns as he offered, "Why don't you take it home with you – let it hang over your brother's crib, since you were deprived of it."

"Are you sure you don't want to try and sell it?" Emma asked, glancing at him. "It is of  _royal_ quality; it must be worth something."

"Well, that would be true – if anyone ever bothered to actually buy anything from this place. The only way I even have food on my table is because I have plenty of rent money due me."

Emma smiled – genuinely smiled – at him then as she pulled the mobile closer and said, "Thank you, Gold – for everything."

 


	5. Chapter 5

He nodded and she turned to go, stopping only once the shop door was open, when he said, "Feel free to stop by any time you need to talk, Miss Swan."

She turned to look back at him, smiling her thanks again as she offered, "You can call me 'Emma,' if you want to."

"Only if you'll stop calling me 'Gold,'" he bargained.

"It's a deal, Rumplestiltskin," Emma agreed, her smile becoming a teasing one before she went out of the shop the rest of the way, looking much happier as she left then she had when she came in. For some reason that made Rumplestiltskin happy too.

* * *

After that, Emma came into the pawn shop at least once every week. At first, she came simply for a safe place to cry away from her according-to-her overly-worried parents, and when she had no more tears to spend, each time Rumplestiltskin would tell her the story behind some of the objects in his shop. Things like David's toy silo, Eric's cloak, and eventually even the items with more of a story behing them – like Jiminy's puppets and Rumple's chipped cup – became topics of conversation so that she had something on her mind besides Bae. Eventually their need for tears ground slowly to a halt, but still she came by at least weekly – simply to spend time with him, it would seem.

Somewhere along the way, Rumplestiltskin realized that whether or not the savior had married his son was rather immaterial in his mind; while he wasn't paying attention, he'd started to think of her as something of an adopted daughter. When he really paid attention, he realized that, judging by the way Emma acted around him nowadays, she must have started to feel the same way towards the situation, even though neither one of them would've ever dreamed of actually  _voicing_ the extremely sentimental thoughts.

The fact that they were there at all was more than enough for the two of them.

* * *

Emma hated the part of her job that required her to go to the Rabbit Hole and break up drunk, petty fights. She just didn't have the patience for it. So she was in a bad mood after one such call, especially considering that she'd had to leave a hot family dinner to come over to the bar and deal with it. The cosmos must've determined that her night wasn't bad enough yet, though, because as she was leaving the bar, Nottingham's old sheriff, known in Storybrooke as Keith, trailed her out the door, shouting at her to "wait up," that he "just wanted to talk."

By the time he'd followed her all the way to Granny's, Emma was starting to get seriously ticked off. Rolling her eyes in irritation, Emma shook her head and ducked into the alley behind the restaurant, hoping to get him off her tail and not realizing until it was too late that Keith was closer to her than she'd thought.

The next thing she knew, he'd grabbed her shoulder, knocked her off balance, shoved her roughly against the brick of the building, and was kissing her. She flew into a mental rage, screaming into his mouth and struggling against the grip that held her hands helplessly above her head, but he was stronger than he looked, and apparently made for an angry drunk, if the way he sucker punched her was any indication. She wasn't going anywhere without some help.

Then she suddenly had help.

Metal came down on bone with a sickening crack and Keith's grip on her hands loosened, his eyes widening with shock in the second before he crumpled to the ground. Emma watched him fall before her eyes slid back up to the face of her rescuer.

Rumplestiltskin stood there, cane still raised; face a mask of fury as he looked down at Emma's attacker. Emma could make out Belle standing silently at the entry of the alley, watching the exchange.

Then Rumplestiltskin seemed to remember her presence there as his eyes swung up to her face and he asked a little breathlessly, "Are you alright?"

Emma nodded, drawing in a shaky breath.

Rumple narrowed his eyes at her, studying her before he harrumphed and said, "Let's get you into Granny's."

Emma shrugged off the hand that he tried to put on her shoulder, declaring, "I'm fine!"

"No, you're not, Emma," he objected with that ever-so-fatherly look in his eye that he reserved just for her and sometimes Henry now that Neal was gone. "Let me help; Belle and I will buy you some cocoa before we send you home to your family. If I don't believe you're fine, don't kid yourself, they won't either."

Emma gave in and trailed him and Belle into Granny's, seeing the logic of what he was saying, but she couldn't help muttering, "You'd better not forget to order it with cinnamon."

Belle took one of her hands when Emma and Rumplestiltskin reached her and when Rumple tried again to put an arm around her shoulders, she let him as he answered, "Of course not, dearie."

* * *

"Back so soon?" Ruby asked cheerfully when Rumplestiltskin and Belle re-entered the restaurant, this time with Emma between them.

The Dark One bit back telling the werewolf to scram and his ever-patient wife calmly asked instead, "Ruby, can we have three hot chocolates? One with cinnamon."

It was then that Ruby copped the rattled way Emma was acting, and she scuttled off to do Belle's bidding as Rumple and his wife steered Emma into an out of the way booth.

"Were you here before?" Emma asked a little hollowly.

"We had dinner here," Belle answered, and Rumple didn't miss the way that she hadn't let go of Emma's hand yet.

He was certain that seeing what she had in the alley was bringing back long-dead thoughts of Gaston for his wife, let alone her memories of Keith and "Lacey."

Emma nodded and began to concentrate on shredding a napkin as they waited for their hot chocolate. When it did come, she drank slowly, taking her time and slowly seeming to gather her wits back about her before she was, at length, ready to return to her parents' loft. She looked much better by the time they left the diner, and Gold was glad for it.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Emma marched into the pawnshop the next morning like a woman on a mission. She wasn't fighting tears or looking for company; Gold sensed that this was a business trip, and she was quick to get to the point.

Eyes determined, she planted her hands on the counter and declared, "I want you to teach me how to utilize my magic."

Rumple eyed her, studying her expression shrewdly as he asked steadily, "Why?"

Emma blinked before answering, "I'm supposed to be sheriff, and if I can't defend myself then why do I even have that office? If I had known how to use my magic, I could have helped myself out of the thing last night, and I want the magic for future use."

So his first thought had been right, Gold mused; this sudden request was about the previous night. He continued to study her unwavering features as he thought it through before answering simply, "Alright."

Her fierce mask broke as she blinked at him again. She'd been expecting to have to fight him for this, Gold realized.

Emma's smile was a small, surprised thing as her entire body relaxed and she said, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet, dearie," he replied dryly. "Meet me at the toll bridge tomorrow morning after you take Henry to the bus stop."

Emma nodded her agreement and left the shop with anticipation sparking in her eyes.

* * *

Emma and Rumplestiltskin met at the bridge every morning for a week, and partly because Rumple was a tougher teacher than even she had anticipated, Emma learned a lot quickly. Once or twice, Belle and Henry even came to watch the lesson. Emma became comfortable using magic, and she felt happy with her progress by the end of the week.

On the morning of her eighth lesson, as Emma walked towards the edge of town, she was looking forward to figuring out the new spells that Rumple had promised her. Then she saw him – and he saw her. Keith. She felt a sudden, unreasonable amount of panic as she slipped into the nearest building – and breathed in the familiar scents of furniture polish, metal, and old books.

She released the breath that she didn't realize she'd been holding as she leaned her forehead against the door and concentrated on slowing her heart rate. Gold's Pawn Shop. She'd ended up here, of all places, and was thankful for small miracles. At least here she wouldn't have to make up a story to cover up the fact that she'd panicked.

"Emma?" a soft voice asked as a warm hand fluttered carefully onto her shoulder. Emma whipped around to face the woman who'd spoken, for some reason surprised to find Belle watching her with concerned eyes as the brunette asked her, "Are you alright?"

"I, uh," Emma tucked her hair behind her ears as she admitted a little sheepishly, "Keith was out there, and I kinda freaked."

"I see," Belle replied, surreptitiously looking over with a glance to ensure that she was in fact okay. She wrinkled her nose as she asked lightly, "He has that effect, doesn't he?" Emma smiled a little at the attempt to lighten the mood and Belle added, "You stay here as long as you want."

"Thanks. Where's Rumplestiltskin?"

"He already left for the toll bridge. I can text and tell him you'll be late, if you want me to."

Emma shook her head. "Don't bother. I came in here 'cause it was the nearest place to cower, I guess."

"You're not a coward, Emma," Belle objected with a small frown.

"Well, I'm certainly not being brave! This is all so stupid of me!"

"No," Belle said firmly. "It's not. Right now, you're handling it. The way you're handling things – taking the drastic step with the magic lessons – isn't necessarily how you would normally do it, but it's doing the trick and that means it's okay. Sometimes a drastic measure is what we need to get our lives back. That  _is_ brave, and it  _isn't_ stupid."

Emma snorted, saying derisively, "You sound like you would actually know what you're talking about. Did you read that in a book or something?"

"No… but that would've been a lot better than personal experience." Emma narrowed her eyes curiously, and Belle rocked back on her heels with a sigh, clasping her hands together as she prepared to delve into just why she was being so opinionated about this. "Back in the Enchanted Forest, I was engaged to a man before I went to live with Rumple – Gaston."

"Of course," Emma muttered lightly.

"He was – is, I don't know – not a good man. He hurt me. Verbally, sexually, physically – he was downright abusive. Seven months before Rumplestiltskin came to my father's castle, I became pregnant with Gaston's child. I loved my daughter – still do to this day – and I knew that a child couldn't be properly raised in Gaston's household. So I became desperate to get away any way that I could, and when Rumple asked for me to come be his caretaker, I agreed. That was my drastic action, my last-ditch effort at saving my daughter, and though it didn't work out exactly the way I'd planned, it still brought me the best part of my life – my true love. Going with him was a brave move for me, and maybe a stupid one, but it's what I needed, and I will never, ever regret doing it. So, in answer to your question, I do think that I know what I'm talking about when it comes to drastic measures."

"Yeah," Emma muttered, shuffling her feet as she absorbed this new information – nearly an entirely new side to Belle to consider – before she asked carefully, "What happened to her – your daughter?"

"That's the part that didn't work out the way I'd planned," Belle answered slowly. "After only being with at the Dark Castle for a couple of days, I miscarried. My precious Arabella… and I was only able to hold her for those five minutes that she kept up the fight to breathe. I still miss her even now… but if nothing else, I can say that she's the reason I went with Rumple at all, the reason we found one another. Some days, though," Belle added with the saddest of smiles, "That's just not enough for a parent's heart."

 


	7. Chapter 7

Emma's thoughts were whirling as she made her way to the troll bridge, though with what she honestly wasn't sure. Over the next couple of days, those thoughts wouldn't leave her alone, although they did manage to become clearer. An idea had sprouted in her mind, and three days after talking to Belle, Emma went to the toll bridge with every intention of discussing that idea with Rumplestiltskin.

"Is there any such thing as magic capable of bringing people back to life?" she asked out of the blue as she came to stand beside him upon her arrival.

"Not without another life being given in exchange," he answered slowly, watching her suspiciously as he asked, "Why?"

"No reason," Emma shrugged.

"If you're still thinking about Bae, don't think I haven't considered it, but I just don't see how – not without leaving the same amount of hurt behind as we're currently dealing with now, and I really don't think that would set well with my wife."

"Probably not," Emma agreed. "It was just a thought anyway."

But it was a thought that still wouldn't leave her alone, especially since she now knew that such magic  _did_ exist. And after three more days of pondering the problem to herself, Emma believed she might have thought of a solution.

The next morning she met with Rumplestiltskin, her first words were, "Could we bring people back to life if we traded their lives for ogres' lives?"

Rumplestiltskin raised his eyebrows at her, repeating incredulously, "Ogres?"

"Why not? If we go to the Enchanted Forest, capture a few ogres and trade their lives for the others we want, would that work?"

"Just…  _go to the Enchanted Forest and capture ogres_ , is that all? Emma, have you seen those monsters?"

" _Would it work_?"

"Possibly… probably… yes," Emma watched him think her plan through as he added, "but that still doesn't change the fact that we would have to  _capture ogres_!"

"You stopped the whole first Ogre War! Why couldn't you do this?!"

"I'm not saying that I couldn't," Rumplestiltskin objected slowly.

"Good," Emma grinned, feeling a sudden surge of hopeful triumph. "Because getting to and from the forest is as easy as getting two magic beans from Antoine."

Rumplestiltskin surveyed her carefully as he asked solemnly, "You're really serious about this?"

"Of course," Emma nodded firmly.

Gold's eyebrows drew together as he realized, "You're saying 'people,' and 'lives.' You have more than Bae on your mind. Who else?"

Emma considered for a moment before she rocked back on her heels and admitted, "Arabella, whom I assume you know Belle told me about – and Daniel."

"Regina's first love?" Rumplestiltskin asked in confusion before it struck him. "You still feel guilty for bringing Marian back with you and Hook."

"Well, I did kind of ruin her love life when Robin went back to Marian, so I figure bringing Daniel back to life would be a good enough penance," Emma replied with a slight wince.

* * *

"Indeed," Rumplestiltskin purred, but he had learned to read the illusive Miss Swan better than she thought he had, and he saw that she was holding something back, so he asked, "Who else is on your mind? There is someone else, and if you intend for me to go on this…  _adventure_  with you, I'm going to need to know who that is."

"Well," Emma shifted guiltily, looking anywhere but at him as she stumbled around on her words. "I was just thinking that with Hook, I might be able to get him to leave me alone if I gave him someone else to concentrate on…" she shrank away from him a bit as she murmured, "maybe someone like… your ex-wife?"

Rumple's bark of laughter was one of shock before he saw that Emma's expression of wariness was quickly becoming one of determination.

"Please, Rumplestiltskin?" she asked, but he could tell that this had the propensity to become less of a request and more of a demand if he didn't agree while she was still in a decent mood.

So he sighed, wondering just how this girl had wormed her way so thoroughly into his… heart as he said, "You go get the beans from Antoine; I'll go find the necessary spell, and we'll meet back here so that you can learn it."

Emma beamed, giving him an impulsive kiss on the cheek before she bolted back the way she'd come with two jubilant words that were probably just as unplanned as her actions: "Thanks, Papa!"

Yes, Gold decided, starting to limp his way towards his car; that was about right. Somewhere along the way, Emma Swan had become a daughter to him – and gods knew how much of a pushover he could be when it came to his children.

So the two of them were back at the bridge within the hour, and once again Gold saw Emma become a woman on a mission. With the help of a few rats and squirrels to stand in for the actual ogres and people, it took Emma all of two days to get the spell to consistently go off without a hitch. She wanted –  _needed_ – to get these four people back now that she knew there was a way for that to happen. Rumple, for one, was all too happy to see it happen, and in seeing it, he began to pick up on her determination and her excitement.

It was rash, what they were planning, and a little… well, crazy – but what else was one to expect from the Dark One, Rumple reasoned. And Emma had started it anyway. Trying to take this chance from her now would drag her back down into the very farthest depths of her grief all over again, and Rumple just couldn't bear to be the one to do that – and they weren't exactly publicizing their plans to anyone – at all – either. So no one else was going to be the voice of reason here, and Rumplestiltskin could admit that he was glad of that. Just like Emma, he wanted Bae back, and there was Arabella to be considered too. How could he deny Belle her daughter when he and Emma now had a plan to reunite them?

So it was two very determined magicians who threw that bean to the ground only three days after concocting their plan and disappeared into the Enchanted Forest without speaking a word of their plans to anyone.


	8. Chapter 8

"How exactly are we supposed to find an ogre?" Emma asked as soon she and Rumplestiltskin were on their feet on the other side of the portal.

"First things first, dearie," Rumplestiltskin answered, preceding a quick flick of his wrist. "Just in case we're spotted."

Emma looked down and groaned as she copped the numerous folds of cloth that made up the skirt Rumplestiltskin had just magicked into existence on her. Fairytale clothing was a necessary evil, yes, but that didn't mean that she had to like it. She felt marginally better though when she realized that Rumplestiltskin was decked out in peasant's clothing as well.

"I hate my life," she complained.

"It'll be worth it if Bae gets his life  _back_ ," Rumple pointed out.

"Can we get onto second thing second then and  _find an ogre_ , please? And if you say anything remotely like 'patience, dearie,' I will break you!"

"When have you ever known me to be patient, Emma?" Rumple asked, turning away and gesturing for her to follow him. "I landed us about ten yards from the edge of an ogre encampment. You're welcome."

"Sorry I  _ever_ doubted you,  _Papa_ ," Emma drawled, trailing behind him.

Rumple shoved aside the twinge of hurt that he felt at the tone in which she'd said that final word and declared as they walked, "Indeed, I am a papa. As much as you are his 'girlfriend', I am his papa, and we are both nervous for this to work, so you don't take your nerves out on me, and I won't take mine out on you. Deal?"

Rumple heard leaves crunch underfoot as Emma jogged forward a couple of steps to come abreast of him, winding her arm through his as she repeated, "Deal," and then a hesitant, "Sorry. I shouldn't have said it like that. I… I really have started… kind of thinking like – of you like…"

Emma really did want to say it, he knew she did, but he also knew that she just wasn't good at sentimental declarations – neither one of them were – so he stopped her by placing a hand gently on hers where it rested on his arm. Smiling almost lovingly at her, he murmured, "I know. Me too… And I'm honored that you would even think to call me 'papa.'"

"Well," Emma said with a thoughtful smile. "If this whole thing works with Neal, I may just have to make a habit of it, if he has the feelings I think he does."

"Oh, he does," Rumple promised her with a grin. "But I doubt that your father appreciates the idea of you looking at me in a paternal light. Actually, I know he's already against it – where you and I currently stand with one another."

"He'll learn to get over it."

"Oh, will he?" Rumple chuckled disbelievingly.

"I did with Regina and Henry. Having two people fill the same position isn't needing one person half as much as you would've without that second person, it's… being twice as lucky, having twice as much love given to you, not having two people you love halfway."

"I'm sure you're right," Rumple agreed. "Now you just have to convince your father of that." He stopped, jerking Emma to a stand-still beside him as his concentration shifted from her to the encampment that they'd stopped at the edge of. "Ready?"

Emma nodded and Rumple put up his hands, casting a spell that made four of the ogres nearest them immobile before he drew them away from the camp, pulling them towards himself and Emma in midair as the sorcerers headed back the way they'd came, getting far out of the hearing range of any other ogres.

Once they were a safe enough distance away, Rumple prompted Emma, "I'll hold them still; you go ahead and cast the spells."

Emma moved as quickly as she could, holding her breath and casting the spell four times, not breathing again until the ogres had disintegrated into the air and had been replaced by four figures in a circle around Emma and Rumple. Three of those figures were crouched down, hooded cloaks covering their faces, and the fourth was a newborn, whose face was covered by the blanket that she was swaddled in. Not being able to see their faces freaked Emma out a little, but when the baby suddenly screeched with rage, Rumple darted to the child and knelt on the ground at her side, scooping her up into his arms and pressing his ear to her to her chest.

He beamed, declaring, "I was right; the spell strengthened her heart so that it could support her! She'll live!"

The person kneeling nearest Emma lifted his head, looking slowly across the grass at Rumplestiltskin before breathing in a voice husky and cracking from confusion and disuse, "Papa?"

"Bae!" Rumple scrambled to his feet and started towards his boy, only to be beat there by Emma when the blonde dropped to her knees and embraced the father of her son.

"Emma?" Bae said, still sounding shocked even as his arms reflexively went around the woman clutching him.

"Neal," Emma sobbed with joy, taking his face in her hands as she tried to explain through her tears. "Neal, you're back. You're alive again. A spell, an ogre for a human, and you're alive now. You came back to me."

"Back to us," Rumple corrected, shifting the baby in his arms as he knelt down beside Emma to hug his son with tears starting to stream down his face as well.

"Papa!" Bae said again, slowly seeming to come to himself and begin to process what Emma had told him as he clung to them, one arm around Rumple, the other holding Emma to him.

Then the bundle in Rumple's arms screamed at the restriction of being sandwiched between Rumple and Bae, and father was forced to break off clinging to his son so that his step-daughter could breathe.

"Who's this?" Bae asked, looking down at the baby in a soft pink blanket.

"This," Rumple smiled, truly looking at the girl in his arms for the first time. "Is Arabella, your step-sister."

Bae's gaze became skeptical as he asked, "Belle has a daughter? Or is it 'Lacey's'?"

"No, she's Belle's in every sense of the term," Rumple replied.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Emma reassured Bae, "There's a big difference between Belle and Lacey, and Lacey's very much gone now."

"Did you bring her back to life too?" Bae asked.

"No!" Emma answered, gesturing to the man across from them who'd risen to his feet and then moved to crouch in front of the obviously shaken fourth person. "Just them."

"Who are they?"

"The man is Daniel… Regina's first love."

"Who's the woman?" Bae asked, trying to see her despite the fact that she was still kneeling where she'd appeared via the spell, face still buried deep in the folds of her hood as Daniel tried to talk to her.

Rumple's happy expression faded as he answered, "An old friend of ours… and Captain Hook."

Bae searched his father's face for a long moment when he realized who was meant, then he scrambled to his feet and towards her a couple of steps, pausing and looking back at his father. Not sure if it was permission or prompting that Bae wanted, Rumple nodded his encouragement and watched Bae go the rest of the way towards Milah with Emma trailing a couple steps behind.

* * *

Neal barely registered brushing Daniel aside as he took the other man's place in front of Milah. He didn't notice Emma gesturing for Daniel to follow her back to Rumplestiltskin, nor did he notice when Emma took Arabella and nudged Rumple until he was standing a few feet from mother and son.

"Mama?" Bae said carefully.

The woman underneath the hood finally looked up, careful and shaken – literally shaking – beyond belief as she breathed his name, "Baelfire…"

The anger that Bae had expected to feel… it just wasn't there. He'd had centuries to get over her leaving him and his father, and apparently time had done its job, because nearly before he knew what he was doing, he was clinging to her, repeating over and over again, "Mama, mama."

His parents were both alive and here and so was he and so was Emma, and Bae had never been so happy in his life.

* * *

Rumple watched Bae and Milah interact, noticing that he didn't feel half as much malice towards his first wife as he'd expected to. He was an old man, Milah was an old wound, and he was just simply done hurting over their shared history. Milah had been brought back to life for Emma's sake, and Rumple was pretty sure he could handle that – but to look at Milah, he wasn't sure that she could.

When he heard Milah ask Bae, "Why am I alive?" Bae looked over at him, the question mirrored in his eyes.

Rumple grudgingly came closer to the two of them, saying to Milah, "You, dearie, are most likely going back to your precious captain."

Milah gasped, raising eyes filled with hope and terror to his face as she breathed, "Killian?"

"That's the plan," he drawled.

"How? Is he here?"

She glanced wildly around as Rumple shook his head, informing her, "He's in another realm, in a town called Storybrooke, and he's not expecting you. No one is expecting any of the four of you, actually."

Bae spoke up then, saying incredulously, "You and Emma snuck off to the Enchanted Forest  _by yourselves_ without telling  _anyone_? That's brilliant."

"Relax, Baelfire," Emma said languidly as she and Daniel approached with Arabella. "When we go back, it'll be like no time has even passed since we left."

"Since when do you call me 'Baelfire'?"

"Since my parents named their son Neal, and I figured you going by Baelfire again is a good way to know who people are talking about."

Bae laughed, seeming pleased by that piece of news as he declared, "Then I guess I'm Bae again."

Rumple grinned at that as Emma suddenly became very business-like and declared, "I've been explaining things to Daniel. You've been doing that over here, right?" Rumple nodded and Emma continued, "Good. Then I've got the other bean; as soon as you're all ready we can go back to Storybrooke."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Bae queried.

Emma's answer was blunt as she answered curtly, "I want  _out_ of this corset."

Giving her a thorough onceover, Bae teased, "Aw, come on, Emma; you look really good."

"No," she said sharply.

"Okay," Bae chuckled as he helped his mother to her feet. "I guess we're ready to go then."

Rumple and Daniel nodded their agreement and Emma took the bean from her pocket and threw it on the ground. A minute later, they were free-falling into the portal – and then they were standing in the middle of Storybrooke's main street.

They all just stood there for a minute, catching their breath and not sure what to do before Emma looked at Rumple and suggested, "Get everybody together at Granny's?"

"Do you mind if I fetch Belle myself?"

"Not at all," Emma answered with a smile. "Baelfire and I can watch Arabella for you."

That was the only prompting that Rumple needed before he headed for the library as quickly as he could, a smile that just might be permanent plastered across his face.

"Belle!" he burst in and called for his wife far too loudly, at the moment not caring for her preference of having a quiet library.

"What is it?" she asked as she skidded to a stop at the end of an aisle, looking at him with worry-filled eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answered jubilantly. "Everything is absolutely perfect, and I want to take you to Granny's for lunch to celebrate."

She laughed lightly, looking at him with a happy sort of suspicion as she informed him, "Rum, it's only nine in the morning."

"Then we'll go for breakfast."

"Which we had – together – at our house not two hours ago."

"Belle, please just come with me!" Rumple begged, feeling like a kid trying to get his parents out of bed on Christmas morning. "I promise me, you'll enjoy it like nothing else in the world if you do."

"Alright," Belle appeased him with a smile, reaching for his hand and allowing him to lead her to Granny's when her curiosity got the better of her.

 


	10. Chapter 10

Stopping just outside of Granny's, Emma handed Arabella to Bae and said, "Put your hoods up before we go in; I want the people that matter to be the first to see you."

"These clothes are going to give us anything but anonymity, Emma," Bae pointed out with a small smile.

Rumple and Emma might have gotten their modern clothes back when they returned through the portal, but no one else had been so lucky.

"Good point," Emma agreed with a shrug… and then a hesitant flick of her wrist. "How about that? Just pull your baseball caps down so people can't see your face."

Bae looked down to find himself wearing jean, a t-shirt, and a baseball cap. Milah and Daniel were also wearing modern clothing, he noticed before he asked, "Emma, did you do that?"

"Do you mind?" she asked in a very small voice.

Bae suddenly realized that she was thinking of the fact that Rumplestiltskin's magic had caused the rift between father and son, and he hurried to assure her, "No, I was just curious. Where'd you learn to control your magic that well?"

"How much trouble am I in if I answer 'my father-in-law'?" Emma asked with a teasing smile.

Bae smiled too and kissed her quickly, replying, "None whatsoever."

"Good. Now, come on; let's get inside before Rumplestiltskin and Belle get back."

"Is that…?" Daniel asked suddenly, looking at some point across the street.

Emma's head whipped around to see that Regina was coming across the street – but she also noticed that own parents were already making their way towards Granny's and Hook was cutting across the street, apparently headed for the sheriff's station. Perfect.

"Go on inside;" Emma hissed to the trio of adults with her. "I'll get all of them and come in."

Bae nodded and took charge of Daniel and Milah, neither one of whom were certain how to act in this unfamiliar world.

Once the four new arrivals to town were safely inside Granny's –  _please, Ruby, don't scream at seeing Neal again_ – Emma called out, "Mom, Dad, Regina, Hook! Come here!"

Four heads snapped around towards her and as they were obligingly making their way towards her, Rumple and Belle joined them.

Once they were all at the entrance to Granny's, Emma asked cheerfully, "How about we all have breakfast together, okay?"

"I've already eaten," Regina deadpanned, giving Emma a scathing look as she went to turn away.

Emma reached out and snatched her wrist, declaring, "Please stay. I'll even pay for your meal if you want. Consider it my penance or something."

Regina's gaze became suspicious as she jerked away from Emma's grip but nodded with a grudging, "Fine; coffee never hurts anything before noon."

"Great," Emma said, fighting the ridiculously childish urge to actually clap her hands at the whole situation as she added, "I'm sure somebody's even got a table picked out for us."

"Who's 'somebody', love?" Hook asked curiously.

"There's more people who are going to eat with us," Rumplestiltskin revealed.

"Who?" Snow asked.

"I guess you'll just have to find out," Emma answered cheerfully, spinning on her heel and leading the others into the restaurant.

Ruby stopped them just inside the door, whispering worriedly, "There are strangers in town."

"Their not strangers, Ruby," Emma promised, her smile not budging an inch. "They're… old friends."

"Do I know them?" Red asked curiously, glancing towards the booth in the back which the "strangers" had taken over.

"One of them," Rumplestiltskin answered with a small smile.

"Should I go take their orders?"

"Sure," Emma answered. "Why not? You are the waitress, right?"

"I am  _a_ waitress, and we do have three others here – though we could do with a fifth, actually."

"Quit stalling, Ruby," Emma coaxed. "I'm going over there too, so come on." She marched Ruby over, feeling a stab of confusion when she noticed that Rumplestiltskin held all of the others back.  _Why?_

* * *

Rumple looked at Belle as he held the others back from moving forward with Emma and Ruby, murmuring, "You might just enjoy this, dearest."

Belle obediently turned her gaze towards Ruby, as did Rumple, and they both saw the moment that Ruby registered who was underneath one of those baseball caps. She slammed a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as her wide eyes darted to Emma, who laughed with glee before sliding into the booth beside Bae and giving him a quick kiss.

"What was  _that_?" Charming hissed.

""I'd like to know the same thing," Hook declared angrily, moving to elbow his way past Rumplestiltskin, who wasn't about to let him get by so easily.

"I wouldn't, dearie. You might find that your priorities are about to be rearranged."

"What are you talking about, crocodile? Get out of my way."

"Why don't we all go with you instead," Rumple suggested, gesturing for the others to follow him to the table. "Help me, Captain," he ordered, moving to push another table up beside the booth and ignoring the way that Regina, Belle, and the Charmings were standing there without a clue what to do with these strange happenings.

When the table was where Rumple wanted it, Hook, still fuming, marched over to Bae and demanded, "What do you think you're doing?"

Bae looked up for the first time since anyone had come to the table, meeting Hook's gaze with steel in his eyes as he replied, "Kissing my girl. Do you have a problem with that?"

Hook stumbled back rather hilariously, gasping, "Baelfire."

"Alive, in the flesh-" Bae reached past Emma to grab Hook's collar and pull him closer so that Bae could be heard when he declared under his breath, "And ready to fight like h*** if you hurt a girl of mine. Understand?"

Hook nodded jerkily and straightened, asking impertinently, "And what women count as yours?"

"Let me make this very clear, Captain. If you hurt  _an y_ of the females in this booth, it  _will_  be the end of you, and I will make sure of it."

Seeing how deathly serious Bae was, Hook slumped down into a chair at the table, muttering, "Lighten up, mate."

"The mood will get lighter, I promise," Emma replied, giving Bae a reproving jab in the ribs as she said, "Starting with the man across from me."

 


	11. Chapter 11

"You trust me to lighten the mood?" Daniel spoke up teasingly, his gaze turning instantly to Regina as he did so.

Regina gasped, her expression becoming much like Ruby's had just been – but even better – as she looked at Daniel. "Are you…?"

"Real?" Daniel asked, sliding from the booth to go to Regina. "Alive? Here? Yes, yes, and yes." He put his hands on her shoulders and asked almost giddily, "Are you happy now?"

"Now!" Regina repeated, her tears falling silently as she almost dove into his arms. "I am now!"

"Good," Daniel laughed quietly before he tilted her chin up and kissed her gently. "I love you, Regina."

"And I love you too."

"So," Daniel rocked back on his heels as he asked her with a coaxing smile, "Do you… I don't know, forgive Emma for… whatever you're upset with her for? Because  _she's_ apparently the one who thought to bring me here."

Regina laughed aloud despite her tears and declared, "Yes!"

Daniel's voice dropped to an even quieter tone as he asked, "And what about your daughter? Have you forgiven her yet?"

"What?" Regina asked in honest confusion before she realized, muttering, "Oh. Snow. Yeah… I think I have."

"She has," Snow spoke up softly, asking in a nearly small voice, "Have you, Daniel?"

"Of course… Snow," Daniel said with a kind smile in her direction. "You've grown up on me. I'm glad to see you again, though."

"You too, Daniel," Snow answered genuinely. "It's about time a so-called 'villain' got their true love around here. See, Regina, I told you it could happen!"

"You did," Regina answered with a nearly-humble nod in Snow's direction. "And for once I'm glad I was wrong."

"Who else did you guys bring back, Rumple?" Belle asked curiously, attempting to slide into the spot beside Milah that Daniel had vacated.

Rumplestiltskin reached out and snagged her wrist, objecting, "Ah, no, no, no, dearest."

"What?" Emma asked Mr. Gold with a teasing grin. "You don't want the two of them to become friends?"

"That could quite possibly be detrimental to my health, or just as possibly my marriage."

"Why?" Belle asked curiously, narrowing her eyes at Milah, whose face was still entirely hidden by her hair and hat. "Who are you, miss?"

Milah was still shaken – uncharacteristically, literally shaking – by the day's events, and suddenly, at Belle's direct question, she'd sprung out of the booth and gone to Killian, falling to her knees beside his chair, clinging to him, and burying her face in his shoulder.

Killian utterly froze, arms out in midair as his eyes blew wide and he stared down in horrified confusion at the as-of-yet unidentified woman burrowing into him. Rumple almost laughed before he saw Bae was getting ready to take pity on the captain.

So he spoke up instead, asking Hook, "Didn't I warn you that your priorities were going to be rearranged?"

"How so?" Killian nearly snorted.

"Tilt her chin up just a bit or something, dearie."

So Hook did – and turned about five shades paler than his natural complexion. "Darling? Milah," his hand was on her cheek, brushing her hair back out of her face as he murmured in an awestruck voice, turned into a different man before them all when he recognized her. "Oh, love, my Milah."

Choking back a sob, Killian pulled her onto his lap and kissed her then and there.

Leaning so that he was near Emma's ear, Rumple whispered, "I think we took his mind off of you."

"You think?" Emma snorted under her breath. "Now, what about the baby?"

"All in good time," Rumple murmured, feeling a spike of excitement as he struggled to suppress another smile of anticipation.

Emma gave him a confused look which he ignored until she was distracted by Bae whispering to her on her other side with a nod towards Belle, "Do you think she's going to cause any problems, considering that she just realized who Mama is?"

"Not likely," Rumple answered for Emma, who shook her head as well, and then he added, "Especially not since we're about to give her the best day ever."

"Who's getting a good day?" Belle asked, seeing that her husband had just turned to look at her. "Me?"

"You indeed, dearest," Rumple replied, finally losing control of his smile as he leaned over Bae and Emma to get to the infant that Bae had been keeping out of sight on his other side.

The others went silent with curiosity as he scooped up the darling girl and held her close, his back to Belle for another moment as he pressed a kiss to Arabella's forehead before turning slowly to his wife with her daughter in his arms, drinking in the change in Belle's expression as she realized just who he held.

There were already tears in her eyes as she stepped towards him, eyes riveted on Arabella, arms reaching for her even as she asked shakily, "Rumple?"

"Yes, dearest?"

"Is that…?"

Rumplestiltskin stepped forward, closing the last of the distance between them so that Arabella was the only thing between them, and Belle's hands came up to rest on the baby, one ghosting over her downy hair, the other toying with one of her tiny fists, as he asked slowly, "How thoughtless would I be if I brought back my own son and neglected to do the same thing for my wife's beautiful, beautiful daughter?"

"Rumple, I love you!" Belle declared with a sudden laugh as her tears of joy began to come in earnest and her hands started to wrap around Arabella. "Can I…?"

"Of course!" Rumplestiltskin willingly handed daughter over to mother and continued to observe the two of them as Belle just… melted.

"My baby!" Belle whispered, kissing her forehead. "My baby, my sweet, little Arabella."

"Baby?" Ruby asked suddenly, having nearly been forgotten at the back of the crowd. "Belle, you have a baby?"

"Had. Yeah, but it's, um… complicated. She died at birth because of an underdeveloped heart, and-" Belle froze suddenly, turning panicked eyes to Rumple as she repeated, "Her heart! Will she be okay?"


	12. Chapter 12

"She'll be fine, dearest." Rumple answered calmly, his hand falling to her arm. "The spell heals all defects and whatever killed them is no longer going to be a problem."

"Even the entire absence of a heart at all?" Hook asked a little dryly.

Rumplestiltskin took a calming breath as he rolled his eyes, declaring, "Her heart was healed through the magic of the spell and returned to her."

"The same thing happened to Daniel," Emma offered.

"Let's not get upset here, okay?" Snow begged. "Seriously, guys, this is one of the best things that has ever happened in this town, and it's a  _happy occasion_. Let's keep it that way, please. Can we agree on that? I want actual promises extracted, please. Hook, you just got your true love back; do not ruin that for you, her, or her son. Promise – now."

Killian sighed, answering with a roll of his eyes, "Very well,  _I promise_ not to ruin this."

"I'll hold you to that," Milah said, her voice still soft but very firm.

"So you won't hurt anyone here, either?" Snow asked Milah carefully.

"Of course not."

"What about the crocodile?" Hook protested.

"Him too," Snow said wearily, turning to look at the pawnbroker expectantly.

Rumple raised his eyebrows and kept his mouth shut, but Belle was still zoned out enough on her daughter that she didn't notice it. So Emma spoke up instead.

"Come on, Rumplestiltskin, you can make that promise and keep it; I know you can."

"Now, why exactly would you think that?" he asked, leaning expectantly on his cane as he looked at Emma.

"During the first month I started coming to your shop, you and I would talk about Bae. You told me once that you wished  _more than anything_ that you had a second chance as a father. You have that… Papa – with Arabella. You don't want her to grow up surrounded by your causing more problems, do you? We both know the answer to that, so all this promise is doing is giving you some accountability."

"People like you and I don't particularly like 'accountability,' Miss Swan. And I dearly wish that you would stop using that word as some sort of a weapon."

"I am not 'Miss Swan' anymore; we are far too many miles beyond that by now. And I'm not using it as a weapon; I mean it. You and I have become too close for that. I called you 'Papa' because that's how I think about you, especially now that you're practically," Emma shrugged. "I dunno, my father-in-law. I call you that because it's now important to me, too, that you make that promise. Please, Papa?"

Rumplestiltskin stared at her for a long moment – as did everyone else – before he declared. "You're right. It is time that I truly become the man my family deserves. So I, too, promise not to cause any problems."

"Thank you," Emma said softly, seeming to realize after the fact what she'd said and who had been around when she'd said it.

Charming looked fit to spit tacks at Emma's little speech, but Snow White ignored her husband for the moment, turning her attention to Belle instead as she requested, "You too, Belle."

"Of course I can promise not to cause problems," the brunette answered quickly, her eyes never leaving her daughter.

"David?" Snow coaxed.

The long look that he gave his wife said that he knew exactly what she was asking him not cause problems over, and it was only once he noticed Emma's pleading gaze that he agreed begrudgingly, "Alright, I'll behave." Mary Margaret raised her eyebrows expectantly until David added, "I promise."

"Good. Thank you. I, too, promise not to cause drama."

So it went until promises had been extracted from all those who had eventually took seats at both tables.

Mary Margaret looked proudly around her at them all and then she obviously got distracted when her gaze skittered out the window of the restaurant and she gasped, squealing gleefully.

"What is it?" David asked, leaning around her to peer towards the window.

"Have you noticed how I – a teacher – am here in the middle of the week during school time?"

"That's because school's out for the day," Regina answered slowly, not seeing the point.

"It is," Mary Margaret continued. "And Henry was supposed to spend the day with me. I left him at home with Neal and came into town to get a few groceries. When Emma called us over here, I texted him and said that if I hadn't texted again within twenty minutes he and Neal were to come to Granny's. So guess who's coming in the door right now?"

All heads turned towards the entrance at the same time as the door opened and Henry stepped in, totally unsuspecting and trying his best to keep from jostling Neal's car seat too much as he carried his young uncle in.

Bae was grinning from ear to ear as he slid from the booth and sidled up to Henry, asking innocently, "Want some help with the kid, kid?"

Henry nearly screamed, coming dangerously close to dropping Neal car seat and all as he flew into his father's arms. Laughing, Bae wrapped one arm around Henry and steadied the car seat with the other, keeping Henry close as he whispered with a tear-clogged throat, "Hey, buddy."

"Papa!"

That wasn't Henry's usual name for Baelfire, but they both decided to themselves that they liked it. Sure, it still managed to scare the snot out of Bae, no matter how his son identified him as a dad, but he particularly liked being someone's 'papa.'

"You're back," Henry breathed.

"I'm not the only one either," Bae declared, keeping an arm wrapped around Henry's shoulders as they went back to the others.

"Henry," Regina said with a smile as Henry walked up. "This is Daniel."

Henry tilted his head to the side, considering the man beside his mom as he recalled from the book with a smile, "You're first love."

"Nice to meet you, Henry," Daniel offered.

"You too," Henry replied, shaking the hand that Daniel offered.


	13. Chapter 13

"And this is my Milah," Hook spoke up, gesturing to the woman who had taken a seat at his side.

"Nice to meet you also," Henry said, giving her a little wave before his eyes turned curiously to the baby in Belle's arms. "Who's this?"

"Arabella," Belle said, a happy flush still tinting her cheeks. "My daughter."

"Don't discount stepparents," Rumplestiltskin sulked teasingly.

"Hardly," Belle replied, laying her head over on her husband's shoulder.

Standing at the head of the table, Henry looked down the line at his family , remarking, "Well, this tree just got even more interesting."

"If you're about to try and untangle the mess, you probably ought to take a seat first," Killian remarked, dragging a chair over for the teenager.

"Thanks," Henry said, "But I was kind of in the mood for something to eat that – dare I say it? – wasn't from Granny's."

"Is there even such a thing in this town?" Emma scoffed.

"There was a new building added to Main Street with the second curse," Regina spoke up. "One of the random flukes that popped up. It got turned into a coffee shop; I'm friends with the owner, and I've gone in there a few times. It's actually really good, if you'd like to maybe relocate this get-together."

"I'm game," Emma replied. "Not that my fourteen year old is getting coffee."

"She's got teas and baked goods too," Regina promised, and so everyone found themselves trekking over to this coffee shop.

"Who owns this place?" Belle asked curiously as they all filtered into the business called Golden Blends.

Regina grinned mischievously as a blonde woman popped out from the bathroom of the building.

"I do," Kathryn said, wiping her hands on a dishtowel at her waistas she surveyed the group that had just come in. "I wondered how long it would take for you to start spreading the word about my little slice of paradise, Regina. What can I get for you guys?"

"Cake?" Henry asked hopefully. "After all, it's not like we don't have a reason to celebrate. Do you notice anybody unusual, Granma Kathryn?"

"What did he just call her?" David asked Snow under his breath as Kathryn surveyed the group.

"Neal! The adult, I mean," Kathryn answered with obvious surprise. "No offense, but aren't you supposed to be dead?"

"My dad and my girlfriend did a thing, I hear," Bae explained.

"Well, we're glad to have you back. Does anybody besides Henry want anything? I could try and surprise you, but I get the feeling I'd mess that all up."

Milah, who had been surveying Kathryn's menu and the back's open setup in silence, asked, "I could help you out a little if you'd like?"

"Really?" Kathryn asked at the same time as Killian, Rumplestiltskin, and Bae did.

Milah nodded, replying, "I have personal experience with a few of them, and I'm no stranger to mixing up drinks. Although I am more accustomed to alcohol and herbal teas, I could try my hand at what you've got back there."

Kathryn narrowed her eyes a little, considering Milah before she opened the swinging part of the counter up and gestured for her to come into the back, saying, "You know what? It does get a little lonely in here sometimes. Let's see what you can do. By the way, have I seen you around town before?"

"No, I came here with Baelfire," Milah answered, apparently returning a little more to her usual self as she recovered from her original shock.

Henry pointed out the two in question as he added, "So did Daniel and Arabella."

"Nice to meet you all," Kathryn replied. "I'm Kathryn – Kathryn Holt, now that my Freddie and I got our marriage license settled in this land."

"Speaking of marriages that need to be taken care of," Killian muttered to Rumplestiltskin, who waved him away with an impatient, "As soon as she's done in the back."

Copping the exchange, Kathryn flicked a questioning gaze between Regina and Snow White, the former of whom just grinned as the latter shook her head minutely.

"You promised not to cause problems," Daniel pointed out to Regina, elbowing her ever so lightly. "So why do I get the feeling that you're trying to do exactly that?"

"I am not," Regina objected. "Whatever scenes they may or may not make aren't on my head; it's on theirs. Kathryn, I think I'll have my usual dark hazelnut – for here this time, though."

Kathryn nodded, giving Regina one more shrewd look before she turned her back to the others to make Regina's coffee and help Milah with whatever she had in mind to prepare. Bae, Henry, Rumplestiltskin, and Hook all took seats at the bar while Charming, Daniel, and the women took over a couple of the tables in the nearly empty coffee shop.

After depositing Regina's coffee and Henry's cake, it took a little longer than it might have otherwise for the rest to be given drinks, seeing as Kathryn had to explain the use of most of the devices to Milah. But the dark-haired woman was quick to understand and it didn't take horribly long to get done.

Rumplestiltskin narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Milah as she slid a mug into his hands, but she just rolled her eyes, saying, "We both know you were watching me the entire time; I didn't spike it. You'll like it, I promise."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Try it and tell me."

Still watching her, he brought the steaming cup to his face and breathed in the scent – and was startled to be hit by a barrage of memories. Memories of a sometimes sweet, sometimes repentant wife making this drink for him – oftentimes to gain his forgiveness after she'd gone on a drinking binge or otherwise left Bae without proper care.

"Herbal tea with honey," he murmured, watching her carefully. "Do you want something?"

"Just peace, Rumple," she murmured so that only he could hear. "Between us, and you and Killian – for Baelfire's sake. I know you've already said you wouldn't cause trouble, but, please, can you promise me – the mother of your son – with him in mind?"


	14. Chapter 14

"I promise," Rumplestiltskin replied quietly. "And we both know that so long as the man you married is allowed to do so, he keeps his vows – unless of course he is asked to be rid of them." With an especially covert twitch of his wrist, a piece of paper and a pen appeared on the counter between them. "Sign this, dearie, and you shall be an unwed woman, free to do whatever you want with the pirate."

Milah signed the divorce document first, and then Rumplestiltskin, who told Milah to give Regina the paper to file.

"You trust her to do that?" Baelfire asked, leaning over towards his parents.

"Considering these new promises that Mrs. Nolan has managed to extract, I thought I'd give her one chance to prove herself," Rumple replied, not really surprised that his son had obviously been listening in on his parents' conversation.

Bae nodded skeptically, but didn't say another word as Milah set a mug down in front of him.

"I thought I'd get you warmed up to the taste of cinnamon," Milah offered. "Seeing as Kathryn and I have already whipped up a few cocoas with cinnamon for your wife and in-laws."

"Oh, they're not-"

Bae went to correct her, but Rumple broke in, saying, "No, they're not  _yet_. But I highly suspect that they will be. I'm even prepared to conjure a few rings by day's end."

"A few?"

"Well," Rumplestiltskin took a leisurely sip of his tea before he admitted to something of a kindness. "I can't help but assume that you, Daniel, and the captain all have the same thing in mind tonight."

"I'm supposed to believe that you'd give Hook an engagement ring for Mama?" Bae asked, his eyebrows arching with disbelief.

"Give it to him? No, of course not. I'm just willing to make one for him to buy – at a heightened price, of course."

"Of course," Bae repeated, trying not to grin.

"But what else could you expect when it's an entirely customized piece of jewelry?" Rumple asked innocently.

"Uh-huh," Bae was unconvinced as he asked, "So, ah, if I were to ask after a similarly customized ring…?"

"Family discount; you could get it for practically nothing." Bae chuckled, muttering something about there being perks to being the Dark One's son. "Although," Rumple added, "I suspect you're not considering a hoop that you'd do best to jump through in the interest of preserving the peace."

"And what's that?"

"David Nolan."

Glancing nervously over his shoulder at the man, Bae asked, "What about him?"

"He feels rather… threatened by my fairly recent presence in Emma's life, and I believe it would do him some good to have that… reconfirmation of his place as her father if you were to ask him for her hand."

"Isn't that a little old-fashioned?" Bae snorted.

"I'm asking you to do it for my sake – and maybe even Emma's," Rumple tried to explain. He glanced pointedly at Henry as he said, "I've seen what a disagreement between two parental figures over the child can do to that child, and I don't want to have to deal with that personally."

"Emma's not a child," Bae pointed out.

"But Charming is still upset. We both know I'm not good at being a peacekeeper, but I believe that if you asked for his blessing, that might just do the trick."

Bae drummed his fingers against the countertop as he inquired, "And what if he says no?"

"Then elope; it's not that hard."

" _That_ is horrible," Bae declared.

"Are you surprised?"

Bae looked at him sideways before asking quietly, carefully, "You will do better with Arabella?"

"Yes, Bae," Rumplestiltskin sighed, an apologetic sound that was weighed down by just how many mistakes he'd made where his family and their trust in him was concerned. "I will do all that I know to do to be a better man – like I said before, the man that my family deserves."

"Thank you, Papa," Bae grinned, and when his son smiled, Rumplestiltskin couldn't help but do the same.

* * *

Bae turned to his other side to check on Henry, only to find his son zoned out on a napkin in front of him. Tiny lettering had been scrawled across it with a pen that Henry had gotten from his backpack, and the teen was staring at the words like they presented some sort of a puzzle.

"What are you working on there, buddy?"

"Names."

"Names?"

"I'm tired of having to specify who I'm talking about when I discuss someone in my family, so I thought why not come up with different titles for all of them? Like you and Emma be Papa and Mama, and Regina and Daniel be Mom and Dad."

Bae shrugged, declaring, "That works for me. What about grandparents?"

"That's the problem," Henry said, worrying at his lip as he considered the napkin. "I would count more of those then I would have to."

"Like 'Granma Kathryn'?"

Henry nodded, asking, "How do you think she'd feel about being called Nonnie?"

Again Bae shrugged, answering, "You'd have to ask her. What about the others?"

"Well, I already call David and Snow White Gramps and Gran. Mr. Gold is Grandpa. Nobody else has anything that I've kind of made a habit of, but I was thinking of maybe calling Milah 'Grandma,' and Belle 'Grand-miere' since she's supposed to be French according to her Storybrooke version. Maybe I could even call Frederick 'Grandad.'"

"Are you going to have anything for Hook?" Bae asked almost warily.

Henry grinned, replying, "Grumble, I think." He copped an innocent look, declaring, "There's so many that I just couldn't think of anything else."

Bae couldn't help it; he burst out laughing. Henry started chuckling too as father swung an arm around his son's shoulders, declaring, "Buddy, I love you; you're a pretty neat kid."

"I try," Henry said with a shrug of teasing modesty. Then he burrowed into Bae's shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around him as he murmured, "I love you too, Papa."

 


	15. Chapter 15

A few minutes later, Milah, who had been flitting from behind the counter to the tables and back again, finally finished doling out drinks and leaned against the counter, standing across from Henry and Killian as she watched the teenager doodle.

"What are you drawing?" she asked curiously.

Startled out of his concentration, Henry crumpled the napkin in his fist, quickly saying, "Nothing."

Milah hummed in the back of her throat, narrowing her eyes at him playfully as she bartered, "I'll draw you something if you show me your drawing."

"No deal."

At Henry's side, Baelfire snorted in amusement. Milah shrugged and snatched a napkin of her own from the napkin holder along with the pen that she and Rumplestiltskin had employed not long ago. Propping her hand up so that Henry couldn't see what she was doing, she, too, began to sketch. As she had hoped it would, her grandson's – grandson's! – curiosity eventually won out.

He asked, trying to sound like he wasn't curious, "What are you doing?"

"Sketching, just like you were."

"What are you drawing?"

"That's not the way deals work, Henry. I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"Mine's just a ring; it's nothing. What's yours of?"

"Baelfire as an infant."

"Mama, I'm not a bargaining chip!"

Milah grinned, ignoring Bae's protest as she caught the curiosity take real light in Henry's eyes. She asked him sweetly, "Do you want to see it?"

Henry grudgingly smoothed out the napkin that he'd drawn on and slid it towards her on the countertop, saying again, "See, nothing special."

"That's a very good drawing, though," Milah praised. "You've got talent. What kind of a ring is that supposed to be?"

Henry flushed, stammering quietly over his words as he admitted, "An idea for Papa and Grandpa."

"On an engagement ring?" Bae asked just as quietly, leaning over Henry's shoulder to look at the simple sketch.

Henry nodded, shoving the napkin towards Bae as he gestured for Milah to hand him her sketch, which she did. "What do you think?" she asked him curiously.

"I think that Hook was right. The artist's streak in my family came from you, didn't it? You like to draw?"

"I do," Milah nodded. "When I was on the Jolly Roger, it was the best way I knew to keep my son alive in my mind. I would draw all of these things of him growing up, doing the things that I never got to see. It helped when I missed him too much." Beside Henry, Bae smiled to himself as he stared down into his drink and listened in. Milah asked Henry, "What about you? Do you draw a lot?"

Henry shrugged, seeming to ponder his answer before he gave it. "Yeah, I guess so. Kind of. Every once in awhile. I'm more of a reader type person, but I do write and draw some stuff too. Kind of like you were talking about – filling in the blanks in people's lives that I imagine."

"I'd like to see more of what you've done some time, if you'd let me," Milah said gently. Henry bit his lip, looking anywhere but at her until she guessed just as gently, "But you don't let anyone see those things, do you?"

Henry shook his head, admitting, "No one even really knew about it until it was mentioned in Neverland earlier this year."

"That's alright, then; I understand. Only three people in the world have ever seen my drawings – four now, counting you. And Mr. Smee, I guess, but he never really counted as being important in my book where my drawings were concerned."

"Who were the other three?"

"Rumple, Killian, and Baelfire. Showing someone what you've made is like… giving them a piece of your thoughts – even of your emotions, don't you think?"

Henry smiled at her then, nodding as he realized with a good dose of relief that she did in fact understand why he was denying her request. For now, anyway.

* * *

"So," Kathryn spoke up as the group began to leave later on in the day. "I want a poll. What do you think of giving dear Mrs. Jones a job at my coffeehouse?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes pointedly at Rumplestiltskin, noticing the way he rolled his eyes ever so slightly at the name she'd used for his ex-wife as she waited for his answer. "She would do fine here," he muttered when he realized that she wasn't going to let him go without an answer.

"Captain?"

"Aye, you'd do well to keep her around."

"Baelfire?"

"Sure, I'm with them."

"Henry?"

"She's good at it, so why not?"

"Emma?"

"Henry's right."

"Daniel?"

"Who am I to disagree with the masses?"

"Regina, I trust you here."

"You can trust all of us," Regina replied with a light smile, "Besides, can you imagine the amount of trouble Storybrooke's two exes can cook up in here if given the chance?"

Kathryn chuckled, agreeing teasingly, "Very good point. What do you think, David?"

"I agree with Daniel's assessment."

"Mary Margaret?"

"Well, considering the amount of people she could've poisoned here today and didn't, I'd say she's a keeper. You won't find many people in this town who  _won't_ poison somebody if given the chance."

Kathryn smiled again, asking, "Is it sad that that's actually true? You will notice, however, that I did not poison you, or otherwise harm you, and we're managing to have a perfectly decent conversation in public."

"We are!" Snow went with the joking, though there was an angle of truth to what was being said. "Kudos to us."

"Speaking of which…" Kathryn turned expectantly to Belle, saying, "Alright, Mrs. Gold, lay it on me. What's your opinion?"

"I think she was trying to kill me," Belle declared bluntly.

Mary Margaret choked as Kathryn asked loudly, "What?"

"I did not try to poison you," Milah said with a roll of her eyes from behind the counter. "I may have spiked your drink a little to get you to loosen up after what a sudden shock that this morning has been, but that was it. You needed it, and you enjoyed it, and we both know it, so you're welcome."


	16. Chapter 16

Belle opened her mouth to let a retort fly, but Snow moved to put a hand on her arm, reminding her, "You promised."

So Belle slammed her mouth closed until she looked at Snow and realized, "And that's why you had me promise, isn't it? Because of her?"

"Basically," Snow admitted. "Been there, done that, and it's not fun, but it can be worked through if you're willing to work at it. Right, Kathryn?"

"Absolutely," Kathryn backed her up. "And you know what? I think I definitely will hire you, Milah." She looked at Mary Margaret as she added as a sort of question, "Keep a handle on what is apparently going to be compared to my end of the situation, maybe?"

Mary Margaret took a deep breath and released it, saying, "That would be wonderful."

"Alright, then. It looks like this place is being volunteered as a new hangout for the ladies if they need a breather or a place to talk, and I'm all for that. The extra business would be nice."

Emma smiled dryly, declaring, "You may not be ready for that much extra business."

* * *

Left almost unnoticed at the back of the crowd now exiting the coffee shop, Regina was grinning broadly when Daniel asked her, "Alright, why are you so thrilled?"

"They're getting along."

"Who?"

"Abigail and Snow White; otherwise known as Kathryn and Mary Margaret. See, I messed some lives up more than others when I enacted the curse, and Snow… well, hers was pretty much the worst case – except for Charming, but that's basically whatever. Point being, that I had David Nolan – Charming – unconscious and then without his memories, but married to Kathryn the whole time. When David awoke before the curse broke, he and Mary Margaret began an affair, which left her on not such great terms with Kathryn. And even though everything has been cleared up concerning the real memories and fake ones, Snow and Kathryn don't really talk much or get along most days – so I put them in a position to have a project to work on together."

"Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Gold."

"Exactly. The thing is, if they try helping Milah and Belle – and if I know them, they will – that will force them to confront and resolve their remaining issues with one another as well."

"See," Daniel smiled proudly at her. "I knew you cared for Snow White."

Regina shrugged him off, answering, "Like I said, I'm friends with Kathryn.

Daniel narrowed his eyes at her before he gave her a quick kiss and let her off the hook with a simple but unconvinced, "Uh-huh."

* * *

Upon leaving the coffee shop, the group separated a number of ways, though Rumple was quick to notice that Bae, Daniel, and Hook were all making excuses to their women to trail him and Belle back to the pawn shop. Impatient, weren't they?

Already certain of what they had in mind, he decided to help his son's process along a bit by seeing to it that the little conversation that he and Bae had discussed needing to have with Deputy Nolan did in fact happen. "Deputy," he called out to Emma's father as the other man went to head the way that was opposite going to the pawn shop. "Why don't you come with us?"

David stopped on the sidewalk, looking at him suspiciously before he left Emma and Snow to come to Rumplestiltskin and ask, "Is something wrong?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what do you need?"

Rumple raised his eyebrows pointedly at Baelfire who blinked a couple of times and managed to stammer, "Now?"

"Why put off until tomorrow what can be done today?" Rumple asked helpfully, adding, "Especially considering what you're wanting me to make for you once we get to my shop."

Bae stared at him for a long second before he swallowed, nodded, and squared his shoulders. Giving his son an encouraging smile, Rumple hurried ahead to give the two of them some space as well as unlock his shop before the others got there.

Belle met him at the door and used the two seconds they had before the men caught up with them to ask, "What is going on? What do they want?"

"Engagement rings," he answered with the smallest of grins.

Belle squealed and darted ahead of him into the shop, pausing to look over her shoulder at Bae lagging behind with David as they talked. "Poor Baelfire; he looks so nervous!"

"Fearing your father-in-law a little at this stage can be a good thing; ensures you'll treat your girl right."

"Rumple!"

He shrugged, pocketing the keys as he stepped over the threshold, declaring, "Well, it's the truth."

Belle rolled her eyes one more time, but then disappeared into the back of the shop as Daniel and Hook finally made their way in and declared what they were looking to buy. Making his way behind the counter, Rumple narrowed his eyes at the pair of men staring back at him, considering before he waved both his hands and a ring box appeared underneath each palm on the counter. He pushed the first box towards Hook and opened it to reveal a sterling silver ring with a smooth turquoise stone setting.

"Turquoise?" Hook questioned skeptically. "That's different."

"So is your will-be fiancée," Rumple replied a little irritably. "If she's unpleased with it – and I highly doubt that she will be – you can bring her back in here to choose something different or just buy something from a different establishment entirely."

Hook reconsidered the ring, studying it as he asked, "You're sure she'll like this?"

Rumple bit back his irritation and revealed his reasoning under his breath from behind clenched teeth. "If you at any time paid attention, you'll notice that she likes turquoise, not traditional gems. She likes the way it looks with her eyes."

Hook rocked back on his heels, his gaze turning to Rumplestiltskin as he thought this over and realized, "You're right."

"And you're welcome," the pawnbroker shot back. "Pleasure doing business with you, but if you don't mind, I have another customer. Forty-five hundred dollars over the next four years will get you that engagement ring and both of your wedding bands, all matching. Now goodbye."

Hook snatched up the ring with a nod of agreement and disappeared out the door as Rumplestiltskin took a deep breath and turned his attention to Daniel.

 


	17. Chapter 17

"Now, for you," Rumplestiltskin said to Daniel, opening the second ring box to reveal a blood red ruby in a gold setting. "I confess I don't have such unshakable knowledge of your fiancée as I do his. I have noticed her penchant for black, of course, but even I couldn't bring myself to create a black engagement ring."

"Of course not," Daniel answered instantly, lifting the ring out of its box and looking it over as he said, "She needs something different anyway. Something that isn't so much… the Evil Queen."

"But she is the queen," Rumple pointed out.

"Yes, she is the queen; she is not, however, the one to endow her with the title of ' _Evil_ Queen'. That's not who she wants to be; she wants to do better for her son's sake, and I intend to help her do that. A black ring wouldn't have helped matters. I like this one though; I'll take it. Is it the same price as the captain's?"

Rumplestiltskin considered that, and opened his mouth to say that he would take a lower price when Belle spoke up, saying, "Half price for you and Regina… since you're new in town."

Daniel beamed as he looked between Rumplestiltskin and Belle, thanking them before he took the ring and left.

Rumple raised his eyebrows and turned to his wife, repeating a little sarcastically, "'Since you're new in town'?"

"What?" Belle shrugged all too innocently. "I like him."

"Someone who's willing to help their true love get better for their son's sake;" Rumple deadpanned, walking to Belle and pulling her into his arms, Arabella and all as he asked knowingly, "What's not to like?"

"I love you, Rumple," Belle coaxed.

Rumplestiltskin grinned, not at all offended as she obviously thought he might be as he replied, "And I love you, my beautiful Belle."

Suddenly the door to the shop flew open and Bae burst in declaring jubilantly, "I survived!"

Rumple bit back a laugh as Belle stepped away from him and asked Bae curiously, "Survived what?"

"Asking David for his blessing – and I only had to threaten to take his tongue to get it."

"You did what?!" Belle gasped.

Bae rushed to assure her, "Just kidding! That one was just a quip… Mom."

It was Rumplestiltskin's turn to be surprised as he asked, "What did you just call her?"

"Mom," Bae and Belle said at the same time, and Belle went on to say only, "He and I had quite the time together when you were in your vault. I daresay we even got a little close during that time."

"Of course we did," Bae said with a soft smile for her, coming up to wrap one arm around Belle's shoulders as he added teasingly, "Which is why I am deeply insulted that I haven't even gotten a hug from you yet."

"I'm sorry," Belle apologized, leaning obligingly into Bae's side as she said, "But you'll understand when I say that I got a little distracted pretty quickly back at Granny's."

"Of course," Bae continued to tease her with a grin. "As soon as there's a new baby in the house, it's out with the old and in with the new."

"You know that's not true," Belle objected, hitting him lightly on the arm.

"As a matter of fact," Rumple spoke up. "A wise young woman told me just earlier today that 'having two people fill the same position isn't needing one person half as much as you would've without that second person, it's being twice as lucky, having twice as much love given to you, not having two people you love halfway' – and I think that can apply to having two children. Speaking of children – what did David say?"

"I'm still alive, remember? He gave me his blessing – and he did look especially pleased that 'I'd' thought to ask him for it."

"Thank you for doing that, Bae," Rumple said, grinning at his boy.

"How did it go with Hook and Daniel?"

"Fine; they found rings."

"Does that mean that you have one for me and Emma?"

"I can have in a moment," Rumple declared, asking, "Do you want me to make what Henry drew?"

Bae brought the drawing out of his pocket and handed it to his father. Rumple smoothed out the slightly crumpled sketch and looked at it before waving his hand over the counter and leaving behind a ring box. Bae curiously snapped the lid open to look down at the understated gold ring with a sparkling, clear diamond.

"Henry's right about the fact that Emma wouldn't want something flashy, but this is kind of… plain," Bae commented.

Rumplestiltskin considered the ring for a second before he muttered "perhaps…" as he passed his hand over the ring box. The ring suddenly had twin strands of gold and silver winding together up to the diamond that was surrounded by four tiny, equally-spaced opals. "Better?" father inquired of son.

Bae nodded, eagerly tucking the box into his pocket as he said, "Thanks, Papa."

"Anything for my children," Rumple murmured before asking, "Does this mean that you're going to go hunt down Emma now?"

"Do you mind?" Bae asked nervously.

"Go," Rumplestiltskin said, waving him towards the door.

Belle grinned, adding helpfully, "She's at the sheriff's station; I'm pretty sure she's waiting for you."

Bae smiled at that and jogged obediently out the door as Rumple moved to put his arm back around Belle's shoulders while she asked, "Am I the only one who thinks that this is a happily ever after in the making?"

Rumple watched Bae through the shop window, one arm around Belle as his other hand ran absently through Arabella's hair, answering softly with a smile on his face, "Not at all, dearest."

* * *

"Emma?"

Sitting on the couch in the sheriff's station, Henry saw his mom – Mama now? – jump when his father's voice echoed down through the hallway.

"We're in here!" Gramps called out, but Henry didn't miss that flicker of something-like-pain that crossed through his eyes. Turning back to Mama, Gramps said, "I am here for my shift now, Emma; you just got Baelfire back. Take him and Henry and go do something – make family memories."

"That's what I had in mind too," Papa said, sticking his head into the room and allowing the rest of his body to soon follow. "The making memories part, I mean."

Henry grinned, suddenly realizing what was about to happen as Mama looked at Gramps and said reluctantly, "Are you sure, Dad?"

"Don't give me a chance to change my mind," Gramps deadpanned.

At that, Henry scrambled off the couch, grabbed his backpack, and took both of his parents by the hands, dragging them out of the station for fear that Gramps actually meant it.

"Hey, slow down, kid!" Emma objected as Henry continued to run with them – now going towards the troll bridge. "I have my car back at the station, you know."

"A walk is good," Henry said, slowing down but making sure they kept going.

"Why?" Mama asked.

Henry looked at her pointedly as the bridge came into view, answering, "To give someone time to compose his thoughts."

"'Thoughts'?" Emma repeated in confusion.

Henry grinned, slipping his hands out of his parents' grips only to put their hands together. Winking at his dad, Henry bounded off a few paces and settled on the edge of the bridge, digging a large sketchpad out of his backpack, legs swinging off the edge of the bridge as he brought out a pencil and began to sketch the proposal happening before his very eyes.

This picture, he realized – this picture was one that he wanted to show Grandma Milah. After all, who wouldn't want to see a family's happily ever after in progress?


End file.
